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Review
. 2023 Aug 1;24(15):12296.
doi: 10.3390/ijms241512296.

The Lung Microbiome in COPD and Lung Cancer: Exploring the Potential of Metal-Based Drugs

Megan O'Shaughnessy  1 , Orla Sheils  1   2 , Anne-Marie Baird  1
Affiliations
Review

The Lung Microbiome in COPD and Lung Cancer: Exploring the Potential of Metal-Based Drugs

Megan O'Shaughnessy et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer 17 are two of the most prevalent and debilitating respiratory diseases worldwide, both associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. As major global health concerns, they impose a substantial burden on patients, healthcare systems, and society at large. Despite their distinct aetiologies, lung cancer and COPD share common risk factors, clinical features, and pathological pathways, which have spurred increasing research interest in their co-occurrence. One area of particular interest is the role of the lung microbiome in the development and progression of these diseases, including the transition from COPD to lung cancer. Exploring novel therapeutic strategies, such as metal-based drugs, offers a potential avenue for targeting the microbiome in these diseases to improve patient outcomes. This review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of the lung microbiome, with a particular emphasis on COPD and lung cancer, and to discuss the potential of metal-based drugs as a therapeutic strategy for these conditions, specifically concerning targeting the microbiome.

Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; lung cancer; lung microbiome; metal-based drugs; metal-phen complexes; phenanthroline.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.-M.B. has received honoraria from Roche and AstraZeneca. A.-M.B. is president of Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE), which has received support from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Blueprint Medicines, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, Janssen, Novocure, and ThermoFisher.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of (A) 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), and examples of its derivatives, (B) 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, (C) 5-nitro-1,10-phenanthroline, (D) 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phendione) and (E) 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenathroline (neocuproine).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Metal-tdda-phen complexes: {[Cu(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)2]·3H2O·EtOH}n (Cu-tdda-phen), {[Mn(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)2]·3H2O·EtOH}n (Mn-tdda-phen) and [Ag2(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)4]·EtOH (Ag-tdda-phen). Adapted from [261].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structure of phendione containing metal complexes [Cu(phendione)3]2+ and [Ag(phendione)2]+. Adapted from [321].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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